Jordan Smith produced a putting masterclass on the first day of the Portugal Masters as he carded an opening 62 to lead by one shot.
The highlight of Smith’s bogey-free round came at the par-five 5th, where the Englishman holed his eagle putt from 30 feet.
He also made seven birdies in an impressive opening round on Thursday afternoon to finish the day on nine under par.
Smith has enjoyed a stellar 2022 campaign so far, recording two runner-up finishes, but has yet to win a title this year.
He will be hoping to change that this week as he bids to move into the top 10 on the DP World Tour Rankings from his current position of 14th.
Joost Luiten and Jeff Winther were Smith’s nearest challengers on eight under after they both made eight birdies in their flawless 63s on a low-scoring day at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course.
Robin Roussel, Gavin Green and Joakim Lagergren were a shot further back in a tie for fourth.
South Africans Wilco Nienaber and Richard Sterne are both on three under (T45), with Daniel van Tonder on two under.
– Report from DP World Tour website
